Psyched Up summary

There are countless ways to prepare yourself for an upcoming performance. Some people opt for meditation. Others, like the singer Carly Simon, sometimes asked to be spanked, because the physical pain helped her conquer her stage fright. Regardless of how you choose to dispel those pre-performance jitters, however, there’s something you should always be: consistent.

Athletes are aware of this – and it pays off.

You’ve probably heard of Thinking, Fast and Slow, the best-selling book by Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman. In the book, Kahneman argues that the human brain has two cognitive systems – one “fast,” the other “slow.”

System 1, the fast one, is almost reflexive. It operates with little conscious effort. System 2, in contrast, operates slowly and requires concentration. System 1 is a sort of autopilot. Meanwhile, system 2 has you fully in the driver’s seat.

In the classic 1986 sports film Hoosiers, Gene Hackman’s character, coach Norman Dale, delivers a particularly effective pep talk to his basketball team as they play in the semifinals.

Coach Dale tells his team of young players to remember the fundamental things that got them here. They should ignore the size of the crowd and the opposing team’s fancy uniforms; they should even ignore the score. All that matters, Dale says, is that they execute, to the best of their ability, the things they’ve been practicing. If they do that, and really try their best, then they’re all winners.

If you had to name the quintessential motivational song, the one most associated with getting psyched up and ready to rumble, which would you choose?

Did “Eye of the Tiger” come to mind? Well, there’s a reason Survivor’s rock single was used as the theme song for Rocky III: It truly does improve people’s performance.

Do you remember the first time you felt it? Perhaps it was during a game of Monopoly. Or maybe during your first game of tag. Whenever it was, you’ve probably experienced it: the thrill of competition.

Even if it was more of a low-level wish to win, you’ve doubtless felt the invigorating determination that competition gives rise to. But is this a good thing?

You probably associate performance-enhancing drugs with athletes who’d do anything to get an edge on the competition, even if it means putting their career on the line. However, today there are many ordinary people who take such drugs to deal with more mundane situations.

Just consider propranolol, a beta blocker initially intended to treat heart disease. Developed in 1962 by a Scottish pharmacologist named James Black, the drug inhibited the body’s reaction to adrenaline. This, in turn, lowered blood pressure and reduced that likelihood of heart attack.